I stare blankly at the stained shirt Nia is holding. My mind is going a million miles a minute. My surroundings seem to blur as the shirt encapsulates my entire field of view. A sensation of dread fills the room. Questions race through my mind, one after the other. Yet I simply sit there, stunned, unable to speak, a chill running down my spine. I hear the conversation happening around me, but I can't seem to focus on it.

Nia drops the blood-stained shirt and turns back to Maki. My attention is taken up solely by the singular object on the floor. Maki steels her gaze and straightens her posture. With a glare fixed on Nia, she starts to speak.
"Fine, you want the truth, I'll tell you." Her tone is completely deadpan yet harsh as if she won't allow herself to be interrupted.
"I was caught off-guard and some guy stabbed me." Nia opens her mouth to speak, but Maki holds up her hand.
"I know what you're gonna ask. He stabbed me, because I just killed his boss. Shit happens. Anyway, it's not lethal or anything, so I'll be better in a day or two. So, any questions?" She maintains fierce eye contact with Nia, both of them clearly ticked off, ready to snap at a moment's notice.

Nia blinks. Once. "What did you just say?" Maki shrugs. "You heard me, kitty, I killed someone. Stabbed him in the back."

"... Why?" is all Nia can muster, a silent rage simmering in her voice. "Why would you just kill someone like that? For fun? Just because you can? Give me a reason. And it better be a damn good one." "Because I was told to. Simple as that." Maki says, her voice still neutral.

Nia's eyes grow dark as she looks at the girl before her with contempt. "That's it?! That's all you have to say for yourself. You just kill someone because you were told to?! You don't have any regrets? Do you know what it is like to lose someone?! To have them ripped away from you forever?! And just because someone told you?! You sicken me!" Nia bellows as she loses it completely. Her calm demeanour completely gone and her eyes blazing with anger. "Whoever could be oh so important that you would just accept whatever they tell you to do? Don't you have any autonomy? You're a person, aren'cha? Or are you some sort of tool, something to be used by others. A gun to be pointed at the enemy so people can keep their hands nice and clean.
"And here you are, wondering why I didn't tell you all this. Look at you. I knew this would happen. You people are all the same." Maki slumps slightly as she seems to relax a little. "Go on, get on your high horse and tell your speech about how I'm wrong and should feel bad." She gestures her hand towards Nia, who doesn't take it well.
"Of course I'm gonna get mad. You killed someone! That is not something you just do. And all because some guy told you to. It's your life, make your own damn choices!"
Maki just sighs and looks to the curtains. "Bold of you to assume I had a choice. 'some guy'? Yeah, sure. Why don't you tell me how I should live a bit more? You seem to know me so well."
Nia screams out in indignation and frustration. "There is always a choice! There is always a way to do the right thing. You just chose the easy way out."
Suddenly, Maki tenses and in the blink of an eye, the two are standing before one another, a hair's breadth between them. "You take that back. Right. Now." Maki says calmly, every word filled to the brim with venom. Her voice is tranquil yet furious. Nia simply shoves the other girl, who lands back on the bed, her head narrowly missing the wall. "Why don't you make me? Or are you just gonna kill me too? You seem so okay with the idea."

With a shock, everything catches up to me at once. I quickly stand up and put myself between Nia and Maki, facing the former and making deliberate eye contact. "Nia. Stop. You've gone too far." Nia blinks and looks confused for a moment before once again becoming enraged. "Too far? Are you mental? She just admitted to killing a man, but I'm going too bloody far?!"
"We are here to hear her out. But all you've been doing is shouting accusations at her. You said we needed to talk about something, so let's talk about Maki. Let her tell the full story and then afterwards, you are free to make your own judgement." With a huff, Nia breaks eye contact and sits back down on her chair. "...fine."

"And Maki," I continue, turning to her. "please be a bit more forthcoming. I want to understand you. I'm worried about you and if you don't give us the whole story, we're gonna make assumptions. So please, tell us the full story." Maki sits up again and looks at me. "Well, if you're asking for it. Don't say I didn't warn you." I sit back down as Maki breathes in and out quietly, readying herself to tell the story. "So, first off, I am an assassin. I work for a cult and they tell me who to kill. I haven't been in contact with them ever since I got here, but I still get my assignments. And I must see them all through to the end. I have no choice in this matter. It's simply the way things are. It's been my life ever since I was young. I've had many targets throughout the years. It's how it's always been and there's no changing it. This wound... I got it a few nights ago, my target's bodyguard managed to sneak up on me after I killed his boss. Of course, I returned the favour and made sure.. the guard.. never... ... moved again..." Maki trails off slowly as her pupils seem to dilate slightly. A dark stain starts forming on her left shoulder. "The wound must have opened up." Maki leans against the wall for support.

Suddenly, I am blinded by a bright flash of light. I put my arms up to try and protect my eyes. Once I can see properly again, I see something that I would have never expected. On the bed, next to Maki sits someone who I've never seen before, carefully holding her arm and shoulder in place as a strange energy seems to flow from one into the other. I'm not sure who this person is until I look at her face, a look of worry clear as day. "Nia?" It can only be her, but her entire appearance has radically changed. Her normal yellow outfit is completely gone, in its place is a very regal, rather unusual-looking dress, coloured in gold and marble white. Her oversized boots have also grown much more form-fitting, wrapping nicely around her slender legs and reaching halfway up her thighs. Both her ears and hair have grown much longer. An oddly coloured gem shines on her collarbone. "What's happening?" Is all I can manage as I watch a bizarre tableau develop before me.

Time seems to slow to a crawl in a moment that stretches into eternity. Nia remains focused on Maki for a while longer. "That feel better?" Nia asks softly, all anger seemingly forgotten. Maki snaps out of her daze and moves her arm as smooth as always. With a vacuous stare, she slowly processes what just happened. "Thank... you..." Her voice sounds hollow as she clearly doesn't understand what just transpired.
I manage to recover from my brief stupor as I cough lightly. "So... I guess Maki isn't the only one hiding something. It seems we are gonna be here a while longer." Nia gives me a brief glare before her features soften as she looks back to Maki, then to the floor as she sits back down. "I guess so." Her voice has regained the warm, composed tone it usually has. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have jumped to conclusions before. I guess I lost my cool because... you remind me of someone. And seeing you act like all this isn't that big a deal is very hard to see." Nia sighs and look up at Maki again. "I get that you're scared. I get it. You're afraid of what might happen if you just up and said something about this. But... I understand. I understand what you're going through." There is another bright flash of light and Nia is back to her usual self. She sits on the floor before Maki, their eyes level. "Listen, I am sorry. I take back whatever I said. Just... know you can trust me." The two keep eye contact for a long moment until Maki turns away slightly. "Okay..."

I try to speak up once more. "Uhm... Nia... Care to explain what just happened?" Nia suddenly seems to realize that I'm still here. "Oh. Right... Uhhh... It is a very long story..." She starts fidgeting with her hood. "To put it in simple terms... I am a Blade, a living weapon. However, due to... circumstances, I can exist as a person as well. I'd... I'd rather not go into too much detail. I... I don't think you wanna know." "I believe I do want to know." I reply. "Didn't you just berate someone for keeping a secret of their own? And now you're gonna keep things from us?" Nia looks at me and sighs. "You're right, Lukas... Well, sit tight. It's... It's a very long story."